The sous chef: “Gosh, you and bacon!”
Me: “Are you jealous?”
The sous chef: “I don’t want to talk about it”
Yes, we revert to our bacon ways. But who’s complaining? Not the sous chef, I promise! Friends, this is a perfect go-to weeknight dinner. And it is so, so delicious. I love the tender, dark meat of the chicken thighs and the crispness of the skin. Not to mention the flavor of bacon infused in every step of this dish… (shhh! that’s our secret). And the pepper/onion mixture? Awesome. So simple, so easy. And so bacon-y! Which is obviously the most important part. This dish has weeknight dinner rotation status so I promise I’m not going to hold out on you anymore – it deserves our undivided attention. Let’s get started!
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- 4 strips applewood smoked bacon
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
- Salt and pepper
We begin with the most important part: the bacon, of course. Add your strips of bacon to your hot pan.
In the meantime, slice your peppers and onions.
Cook the bacon until beautifully crisp. Remove from heat. Once cooled, tear into pieces.
Reserve the fat from the bacon and keep warm over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken breasts skin down until golden-brown about 5-7 minutes.
Then flip, and let brown for an additional five minutes or so.
Remove the breasts from heat.
In the same pan, add the peppers, onions and minced garlic to the pan and let caramelize until the onions reach a perfect golden-brown and the peppers are soft – about 15 minutes.
Once cooked through, add your bacon.
Deglaze the pan with your white wine. Add the chicken broth, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, thyme sprigs, fresh thyme, oregano and salt and pepper. Let cook for several minutes.
Next, nestle your gorgeous chicken thighs in this flavorful pepper-onion mixture.
Allow for the chicken to cook through, covered, for 25-30 minutes letting the broth cook down.
Then plate up and prepare to seriously enjoy this beauty.
Let’s excuse the bacon from the conversation – I don’t want it’s feelings to get hurt. We are going to talk about wine… the actual most important part of this dish. A pairing? The 2011 La Crema Pinot Noir. It’s earthy with flavors of lush cherries and plum. A perfect complement to this chicken without overpowering the tomatoes, peppers and onions. Seriously, enjoy. I know I did!
Cheers!
